It is well known in the design and manufacture of vehicles to place a second set of switches to control various electrical components within easy reach of the driver. These switches, commonly called redundant controls, are placed on the dashboard or steering wheel cover and operate to control a radio, heater, cruise control, cell phone, air conditioning and the like.
One type of steering wheel mounted redundant control switches of the prior art is one where the switches are mounted to the backside of the driver air bag and protrude through openings in the air bag cover. Another type is one where separate switch buttons are disposed within the mounting plate of the steering wheel. Still another prior art configuration mounts separate switches in a pocket located at the spoke of the steering wheel.
Included among the prior art are redundant control switches using light sources to achieve backlighting to increase visibility of the switches and ease operator use. Many of these switches utilize incandescent bulbs or fiber optics for a light source.